Lockdown Content 1

 Task One:

While watching this episode of Isolation Stories, there was a number of things I noticed that was different to any other show that is traditionally produced (meaning they don't have the strict lockdown rules to film in unlike this show). To start with the first thing I noticed that was different was the use of cameras. The show started of with four people in a video call. This doesn't normally happen in a traditionally produced show as people are aloud to meet up, but due to lockdown, everyone has to stay in their homes and not meet others so this really represents communication people have with each other in lockdown. The main character films short videos of herself a multiple of times to send to people as a message. This is a similar type of camera used as it's only showing the screen as though its being screen recorded. To make the main character Mel ,who is pregnant and living alone, feel isolated from the world, some of the camera angles are long shots from outside in the garden looking into the house with Mel in it. This is to imply to the audience that Mel is feeling lonely which most of the audience can relate to due to the lockdown. Another camera angle the TV show uses is a wide shot from the corner of a room in Mel's house which gives the impression that it is a CCTV camera. Clearly this TV series have very limited camera angles they can use has there isn't much space to do it in or change in location. 

As this series is filmed during lockdown they wanted to show the main character Mel living in her house with no one around her or anywhere to go. This means that the number of characters in it is very few with it being Mel, three of her work colleagues, her dad and step mum, and also a stranger on the phone. All these characters apart from Mel were shown in a video call or on the phone. This is very different to a traditionally produced show as they would have the characters meeting up in person. There is only one location in this show and that is Mel's house. However to make it seem like there are number of locations with different scenery, they filmed in a number of room those being the kitchen, living room, bedroom and garden. A traditionally produced show would have a lot of locations so it makes it very different for the audience to watch only one location throughout the whole episode. This episode from the series is only 14 minutes long which is very short for a programme. I think the reason why they kept it short was so that audience wouldn't get too bored as there is very few characters and locations so keeping it short keeps the audience engaged with it throughout. 

Task Two:

What were the creative limitations faced by ITV by the imposition of Lockdown rules?

ITV had to follow strict Lockdown rules which caused creative limitations mainly being the filming element to it. This is because the Guardian quoted 'fiction, unlike news, is not defined as key media work', meaning that this series is not essential to do in this Lockdown so they have to follow strict rules in order to do it. The Guardian also states that 'the numbers of people, travel  and amount of close contact involving in filming were deemed a health risk'. This is clearly saying that people, such as the film crew and actors, were not aloud to meet up to film this series as it would be 'a health risk'. It would be a health risk because people would be in close contact with each other and touching all the equipment which may result in on passing on the virus. 

What was the impact on technical crew of Lockdown restrictions?

The impact on the technical crew because of Lockdown restrictions was very large purely because they wasn't aloud too leave their houses as it would be 'deemed a health risk'. It would be a health risk as with all the equipment, each member of the crew would have to touch/hold it which can transfer the virus onto someone else. This means that to film the series the technical crew couldn't go out to the set and set it up or film it. This rule meant that ITV really had to change their ways of filming a series which made it much harder for them. 

What creative solutions were found for each of the following production stages:  - WRITING - REHEARSALS - FILMING - EDITING

For writing the scripts for the series, the writers took inspiration from what was going on around in the world. For instance, one of the writers claimed they 'observed people talking too each other across the lawn or road'. This shows that the writers had to find inspiration so that the storylines for each episode would be relatable to the audience as that's what everyone was doing in Lockdown. Whereas for rehearsals, the actors would simply have a meeting on Zoom with the writers/directors too talk about the script and the characters. In the article, Pope explains that 'we delivered sanitised filming equipment to the actors homes'. This was because filming crew were unable to meet up and film the series with the actors so the actors had to get a person they were isolating with to film it for them. Even though the people that filmed the series weren't professional for the job, they still did very well as they 'was given a Zoom course in how to use the disinfected camera'. Lastly, editing would be done by the director first then once they are done, they would send it off too post-production technicians. Pope says 'It just bounces around virtually between all these houses'. Which implies that no-one can meet up to edit the footage so they rely heavily on communication between each other virtually. 

Task Three:

Comparing the two shows you watch, find FIVE similar features - visuals, shot-types, editing, narrative, etc - and describe these, use screenshots to illustrate your points. 

The two show's I will be comparing are Staged and The Vicar Of Dibley. 

Both these shows use the same shot types most of the time. The main shot type they both use is a medium close-up. This shows the characters/actors from the shoulders up which allows the audience to engage with the actors faces so can have a clear understanding of how the characters/actors feel through their facial expressions. 

Even though Staged has David Tennent and Michael Sheen as themselves in it, they are still acting. So this means that both these shows are narrative. These two shows have fictional storylines with the same genre which is comedy.

I realised that Staged is 15 minutes long for series one episode one and The Vicar of Dibley is 9 minutes long for series one episode one. These are very short episodes but that is the whole idea so that it's something quick for the audience to watch and can easily hook onto it. 

Visually on the screen, the editors have made it so the audience sees the characters talking to the cameras because the style of the shows are meant to be people talking to each other on a video call such as Zoom. 

The style of these shows are very similar in the fact that they both have people talking to the camera on a video call to each other in it. This is rarely done in film and TV but both these shows have done it because of the time they were filmed. They were filmed during Lockdown/the pandemic and during this time people would video call their friends and family to interact with people from their homes. So these two shows are relatable to the audience with the use of video calls.